For my doctoral dissertation in the lab of Dr. Karen Carleton, I study the genetic basis of visual diversity in African cichlids (a group of freshwater fish), mainly concentrating on the genes responsible for color vision-the cone opsins. All African cichlids have seven cone opsin genes, which is more than that in humans (we have three). Each species usually expresses a subset of these opsins, with species differing broadly in which opsins are expressed. Using hybrid crosses between species with different expression patterns, the overall goal of my thesis is to identify the genetic factors underlying differential opsin expression in this group. I am also interested in understanding the role of plasticity in mediating opsin expression changes and the evolutionary consequences thereof. Additionally, I am deciphering the genes contributing to eye size differences among different cichlid species.